White Scarf
by Quaxo
Summary: Five NCOs are dead, brutally beheaded. Six local women, all murdered then disemboweled. Is it the work of two serial killers, or one trying to send a message? A Bobby-centric casefile set pre-LO:CI. Featuring Special Agent Declan Gage COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Don't own Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Wish I did. The residuals alone would pay off all my college loans. They're property of Dick Wolf and NBC, all I'm doing is playing with their characters...

This is also my first foray into LOCI fanfic, hopefully not the last. I'm fairly new to the series so forgive me if there's some glaring error. I'm relying on wikipedia for fact checking (and obsessive researching. LOCI is awesome for info dorks like me). Anyway, just resolving some questions I had in my own head…

Oh, and kudos to anyone who can tell me what other television series gets referenced in this chapter.

* * *

_Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, July 21__st__ 1986_

Even the backwash of air from the helicopter blades couldn't dispel the heat and humidity completely… Overhead the skies were darkening, threatening rain, which was apparently common in Uijeongbu during the summer months. It made him grateful he'd decided to wear one of his linen suits, wool would be murder in this weather.

The young man standing stiffly at the edge of the helicopter pad was surprised at as his appearance; he was probably expecting one of his more traditional colleagues… ones that would be wearing a wool suit in this kind of weather along with dark glasses and an ear piece. Certainly not a man with long hair, and a beard wearing a rumpled linen suit looking much more like a mad professor than a FBI agent. What banal imaginations these military men had…

"Special Agent Gage? I'm Special Agent Wakefield, CID. Captain Martin's requests to speak with you."

No 'at your convenience' and definitely no 'please', someone was feeling a bit resentful about an FBI presence… Well, if they could've handled the situation, he wouldn't be here. He supposed he could insist on dropping his bags off at his room first, but in all likelihood that would just increase Captain Martin's antagonism… and the case was incredibly interesting.

In the last three weeks five NCOs had been murdered, stabbed to death with some sort of sword. There was a footnote in the slim case file he'd received before flying over noting that the same killer may have attacked some of the local women and disemboweled them. They at least had the weapon in common, although Declan personally thought it far-fetched that a serial killer would be stalking both men and women… much more likely that one was imitating the other to try and cover their tracks… of course maybe the officers and the women had something in common, unique to them… he'd know more once he got to look at the photographs of the crime scenes.

As he entered the office of Captain Martin, he knew he was in for a hard sell. Martin, a broad man with his graying hair still cut in a flat top and a wool suit (the man had to have been stationed in Korea awhile, to adjust to the heat) was old school traditional military police: find the evidence, find the criminal, arrest the criminal. Why use psychology to convince a man to confess when physically intimidating them worked as well? Such small minds… Declan had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Special Agent Gage," Captain Martin said, the slightest hint of derision in his tone. He, too, obviously had been expecting someone a bit more 'FBI' looking.

"Captain Martin," He smiled politely and offered his hand which was briefly shaken. "Tell me about your case?" Put the man at ease, reassure him that it was still _his_ case to keep his ego satisfied, that should make things much easier.

"Not much to tell. Five NCOs all murdered off base, beheaded post-mortem, no witnesses and no traces left behind by the killer. Still, you've probably come too late, we've got a suspect in interrogation right now, and he's looking pretty good for it."

Declan's eyebrows shot to his hairline at the new information… there'd been no mention of the beheadings in the file he'd gotten, of course it wasn't the cause of death so some idiot probably thought it wasn't important… things like that could tell so much though. They had a suspect? With no physical evidence?

"Has he confessed?"

"Not yet, but it's a matter of time. They all crack eventually," Captain Martin said with a grim smile.

"What about the women, there was a footnote about some local women--"

Captain Martin's snort interrupted him.

"Similar weapons, but that's about it. All killed then disemboweled. They're not our jurisdiction. That was just our suspect trying to throw suspicion elsewhere…"

"The suspect works for CID?" Interesting, very interesting... a police officer as a serial killer… How did he pass the psychological fitness exams? What drew him to law enforcement? Morbid amusement turned into an obsession? So many questions to ask…

"He was just accepted into CID in four weeks ago and assigned here, and he was seen getting in an argument with the third victim, Sergeant Ackerley at a bar two nights before he died."

Why did he wait until he got his CID commission to start killing? Surely there must have been others… perhaps he had to wait until he came into a position of power, imitating a father figure? Why kill them then, if he's already achieved a position of power, surely the murders themselves would fulfill that need… Unless it's the thrill of not getting caught…

And what about the women, could two killers be working in the same area? Were they aware of one another? Working together? How unusual… perhaps he could persuade the South Korean officials to let him assist in their case.

"May I speak with him, after your interrogation of course… I've been studying the psychopathic mind for ages now and any opportunity to interview the criminal in person is valuable," He smiled benignly, taking his glasses off casually and cleaning them on his sleeve.

"I suppose that can be arranged… two of my best men are interrogating him right now, if you'd like to follow me Agent Gage…"

He's lead into a small room with a one way mirror looking into the interrogation room. Two men in dark suits stand over a third wearing a rumpled button down and khakis. They must have grabbed him after hours…

The CID detectives are doing their best "good cop, bad cop" routine; a crude but effective, at least most of the time. They don't hold his attention for long though. The suspect, that's who's interesting.

He doesn't look much like a military man any more than Declan looks like an FBI agent… that baby face will never achieve the chiseled hard lines of his fellow officers, and the natural curl of his hair defies any attempt to make it look more severe. Wide, dark eyes look bewildered as the two men hurl charges at him. He's a big man though, not only tall but broad, and that's enough to intimidate most people. He didn't look like a serial killer either; then again, neither did Ted Bundy.

He fidgets nervously in his seat, looking more like a truant schoolboy than a military officer. His thumb comes up to brush his mouth in a comforting gesture… interesting, some attachment problems to his mother early in his life? Gacy had a habit of rubbing his lips…

"Do you have his personnel file," he asked, not taking his eyes off the interrogation room.

Martin is feeling much more cooperative and he hears a file slide across the table to him. He picks up the file, regretfully pulling his eyes away from the interrogation in process, to scan the file.

Twenty-five, parents divorced, one older sibling… a mother that was struggling with some chronic illness judging from the three requests for compassionate leave. Poor grades in high school but high scores on the intelligence tests. Troubled home life.

"How did you know it was him?"

"His transfer here matches with the start of the murders, he's big enough to get the jump on these guys, and… he knows things."

"Knows things?"

Martin made a face, the scowled at the suspect.

"He started talking about how the killer felt, spouting off this crazy theory that some local was killing our men for revenge because they 'disgraced' some local women, local women that he later killed to restore their honor," Martin snorted and shook his head.

"And you're sure that there's two different killers?"

"Definitely. Different M.O.s, and the women started dying off two weeks before our suspect was transferred in. He's just trying to throw the investigation off track…"

It all sounded so reasonable that Declan almost found himself agreeing. Some killers did like to get involved with the investigations, and being a detective on the case would give the suspect the perfect opportunity to meddle. To show off how smart he was… Yet he couldn't quite get himself to believe it.

"I think I'd like to talk to Agent Goren, Captain Martin…"


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Don't own Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Wish I did. The residuals alone would pay off all my college loans. They're property of Dick Wolf and NBC, all I'm doing is playing with their characters...

Some stuff to clear up: 1) Sergeant vs. Lieutenant: The answer is Special Agent. After some more research (and ironically, help from an NCIS footnote) I have discovered that Bobby would be called a Special Agent, since CID is separate from the regular Army. 2) Declan (and I) suck at math, so Bobby's age has changed. He'd be 25 in mid 1986, not 24 as previously reported. 3) Sorry for how long it's taken to post this second half. Elizabeth Hitchens stopped by and refused to freaking leave until I promised to let her play in the sandbox with Bobby. And the betch that she is she still held my muse hostage for funsies.

And as for the show that gets referenced in the last chapter? MASH takes place outside the village of Uijeongbu, South Korea... otherwise known as Camp Red Cloud.

* * *

All three men stood when he entered the room; Agent Goren didn't seem the least bit cowed by the glares of his interrogators either. There had been a couple citations for insubordination in his folder; authority problems weren't uncommon in young men raised without fathers or with serial killers…

"Special Agent Goren? My name's Declan Gage, I'm a special agent with the FBI," he held out his hand, which after a moment of hesitation Goren shook it. Nicotine stains on the tips of his fingers… there was an in. "Would you like a cigarette?" He fumbled for the pack and lighter he kept on him at all times. He was an infrequent smoker, but having a cigarette available on demand had proven valuable more than once. It was a way of building camaraderie, with people becoming such health nuts nowadays. Soon they'd start banning smoking from all public areas…

Goren eyed him warily, evaluating him carefully. He wasn't as quick as his fellow officers to write him off just because he didn't look the part of an FBI agent… bright man.

"N-no, thank you," A stutter? That must have made his life hell until he grew big enough to intimidate the other kids into leaving him alone. He was still watching him, not moving to retake his seat… either a show of power (because the man had to have at least eight inches on him), or maybe just following protocol… Declan dropped casually into the chair, pulled out his notebook and set out the files on the murder and Goren's personnel file in plain sight. Goren sat down promptly after him, on the edge of his seat, knees bouncing slightly under the table. Not a show of dominance then… otherwise he'd have remained standing and controlled his nervous energy. Not afraid to defy authority, but he knew when to buckle under… Well, he wouldn't have made it this far in the army if he hadn't.

"Where are you from, Agent?" He leaned back casually, smiling slightly with his pen at the ready. Goren looked mildly startled by the question, his mind quickly trying to work out the purpose of the question…

"Brooklyn, New York."

"A New Yorker… From Philadelphia myself…" He bobbed his head. "Long way from home…did you join for the adventure? Or as an escape?" Goren shifted slightly in his seat at the last prompt. "It must be tough, your father leaving you and your brother alone with your sick mother…"

It was like sitting across from a cornered animal: Goren tensed, his eyes darkened as his pupils narrowed. Declan fancied he could see the hairs rising along the back of Goren's neck. He'd definitely flicked a nerve there. Goren didn't lash out though…

"Must have been hard… being thirteen and left all alone to care for your mother. Being the good son all the time must have been exhausting, especially when she was being unreasonable… It's why you had to abandon her, isn't it, and join the army? She wasn't going to get any better and no one else was going to help, and she was so needy…"

Goren's ears and cheeks pink, his gaze suddenly averted to the tabletop. Classic signs of guilt. Mommy's boy… although not in the typical manner. He's the caretaker in the relationship, when she was well they probably had a lot in common. He could follow this lead, but he'd probably only get more guilt. He had an overdeveloped sense of guilt when it came to his mother; undoubtedly linked to his father's abandonment of them.

"So, what about your father? Why did he leave? Dad didn't want to deal with your mother's illness, or was he just tired of his family cramping his style? What about your older brother? You don't even have him listed as your primary emergency contact… you forget his phone number? Or is he a chip off the old block? Your mother must be pretty awful if she managed to run all of you off…"

Goren slaps his hand down on the table hard, his face fierce. He's infuriated, but it's no killing rage… he's too controlled for that, and probably too controlled for these murders. It would take a lot to set off the sort of impulsive rage that their killer has, and doubtful that something could set it off five times in three weeks.

"S-s-she's sick, i-it's not her fault. A-and I don't see what it has t-to do with the investigation…" Goren says flatly, firmly in control of his emotions.

Declan can't hide his grin. So bright, but still so limited. Although it's not his fault… criminal profiling is a relatively new field, one couldn't expect some nobody agent who'd barely graduated high school to have a clue about it.

"Ah, yes, the case… You're the one who put the note in about the local women. What makes you think they're connected to these killings?"

Goren takes the file from him and flips through it quickly to pull out newspaper clippings and photos of the women's murders. The scenes are gruesome, Declan notes with detachment… their entrails are spilling through their wounds and yet their faces are peaceful, thanks to their slit throats. Slit throats that are hidden by immaculate long white silk scarves tied around their necks post-mortem, Goren notes.

"T-that's what got me thinking…" Goren's ears are pink again, his gaze skipping about the room. He's embarrassed about something… Declan raises his eyebrow in polite interest. Goren's not convinced him yet that the two sets of murders are connected. "M-madama Butterfly. B-butterfly's death is similar… white sc-scarf, hari-kiri…"

He's impressed that Goren listens to opera, and he can vaguely see the connection… it's all rather weak still.

"Pinkerton doesn't die though, and this isn't Japan…"

Goren makes a face and a frustrated gesture with his hands. Declan imagines it's an old frustration, people not immediately understanding what Goren's talking about and Goren not realizing he's jumped from point A to point G without so much as a by your leave. Goren stares at the file quietly for a moment in deep thought, before looking back up at Declan.

"I-I know that. The story's wh-what's important to the killer, not it's s-setting. P-pinkerton's a bastard, and the killer's re-writing the ending with these murders. Butterfly's suicide r-restores her honor… the female victims were known to hang around the base. He's restoring their honor to them in death. The offi-officers were known to more than… flirt with the local girls. He's punishing the-them for defiling them… b-beheading them as a mark of dishonor. I'm sure if you go… back you'll f-find that all the victims -- they had contact w-with one another. Or—at least frequented the s-same places."

Declan looks over the evidence and blinks when he sees the pieces falling together just as Goren describes them. The man's a savant… there'd been no note of any real college-level education. It's fascinating, and Declan's mind is spitting out multiple theories as to how exactly Goren came across these talents.

First things first though…

"So who are we looking for?"

"W-what? I don't know, there's no suspects…"

"Oh come on, Agent Goren… surely you've got some ideas of what this person is like, even if you haven't got a name… you've probably thought about it…"

Goren looked at him quietly for a moment, evaluating him again, before cocking his head to the side and staring at the photos. All his nervous energy dissipated, becoming intensely focused on the problem at hand. Declan knew he'd hate to have their positions reversed… Goren wasn't being actively menacing, but being the object of his concentration would be exactly that.

"Su-suzuki the maid -- she, uh -- she knows th-that Pinkerton's not coming back. B-but a woman -- she wouldn't have the phy-physical strength to do this. If it -- it were for religious reasons, then we'd s-see it… not to mention murder is aga-against Buddhist principles-- so not the bonze…" Goren paused, and Declan got the impression he was suddenly very far away. Declan would give anything to be able to see where his mind was going.

Goren would make a fascinating case study, once this mess is taken care of. From the little he's been able to find out and intuit about Goren's home life; if his suspicions are right Goren's childhood should have all the hallmarks of serial killer laboratory… and yet Goren has somehow managed to survive and become a member of law enforcement… but a special one.

"Sorrow. The son…" Goren is suddenly animated, hands dancing across the table top as he gestures to the evidence photos. "H-he witnesses his mother's s-suicide -- he's adopted by — by the Pinkertons…but if he weren't…"

"We'd have one very angry young man… very good, Agent," Declan grins and pops his head outside the interrogation room, where a baffled looking Captain Martin stands with his two interrogators.

"Do you call that an interrogation?" One of the agents who had been in with Goren scoffs.

"I got him to tell me a lot more than you did," Declan says in a tone that he knows clearly communicates: _you idiot_. "He's right. They are connected. You're looking for a young man, a local of mixed ancestory. He's probably come out of one of the orphanages. You need to get a hold of the Korean police force, check out their suspect list. The women were a warm up, which means he'll have made mistakes." He uses what he privately calls his "Special Agent" voice, the one that's all steel, arrogance and authority. He doesn't have to use it often, most of the time his "eager intellectual" gets people to do what he wants without even realizing it.

He turns his back into the interrogation room, shutting the door behind him. Goren is staring at him, surprise evident as he rubs his hand along the back of his neck.

"You believe me…"

"Have you ever heard of criminal profiling, Agent Goren?"

In the end the Korean police do have a suspect for the first murder that fits the profile. The nice thing about living in a police state is that you don't need probable cause for a search warrant. A toss of the suspect's place reveals a box of white silk scarves of the same make as the one found on the female victims, and a blood crusted machete.

He lets Goren sit in on his interview with Christopher Kim; a typical asocial serial killer of below average intelligence. Abandoned by his mother at an orphanage in his infancy, obviously of mixed race with his longer nose and lighter hair, he'd written a fantasy about his mother based on Madama Butterfly. Only to have his delusion shattered at eighteen when he discovered his mother alive and well, with a family of her own. About the only thing that distinguished Kim from all the other killers he'd interviewed was that Kim struck both males and females.

Goren was interested though, watching carefully and even hesitantly adding his own questions. Declan would guess that Goren felt sorry for the man... perhaps his empathy was the key to his understanding.

He'd get a chance to figure out, over the next six months. He'd made a call to his boss back in Virginia, who'd made a call to the head of Army CID and managed to convince him of the usefulness of having a profiler on staff. Especially one who had been mentored by one of the top profilers with the FBI.

Like he'd told Goren, it wasn't like he could stay in South Korea after being pinched as a serial killer. Some exclusive training, a six month absence and a reassignment would put enough distance between himself and the event that he'd have a practically clean slate.

And Jo would probably love to have boy around the house…

* * *

AN: Hope youse guys enjoyed. Posted shortly after this should be a nice angsty AU which I think will raise a few eyebrows.


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